Items tagged with CBS

If you're a cable-cutter who's hated to lose some key channels by dropping cable TV, you might just be in luck when YouTube rolls out what's in effect a replacement later this year. It's been rumored for quite some time that the company has wanted to offer a subscription-based service that would include a number of common channels - it'd benefit not just YouTube, but the channel owners, and of course, consumers, who'd end up getting a better deal than going with a traditional cable TV service. That price has been pegged at "under" $35/mo, which might seem a bit high, but the value will really come...Read more...

As if there were ever any doubt that this latest kerfuffle would quickly end, CBS and Dish Network have settled their ongoing dispute over programming and pricing. However, it looks as though CBS came out as the big winner in this latest battle, as Dish’s AutoHop functionality has been neutered as a result. After months of intense negotiations without a deal in sight, CBS channels went dark on Dish Network shortly after 7 PM EST on Friday evening. CBS was quick to point the finger at Dish, stating, “Dish has dragged its feet at our many attempts to negotiate in good faith. Behavior like this is...Read more...

Anyone who goes without cable TV but still loves popular content is no doubt aware of the limitations that cutting the cord can introduce. Often, networks will offer to broadcast their shows online, but then put it behind a paywall in the form of a required cable TV subscription. That's about as nonsensical as it gets, since most people who want to watch online are trying to work around not having that. Well, two major content producers this week announced their plans to get into the digital subscription game, in effect giving people the option to access their content legally, and without a cable...Read more...

When fun, interesting, or mindblowing (or unfortunately, often mind-numbing) things happen on TV, the chatter about it ramps up on Facebook and Twitter. Names, TV shows, and topics trend, and those analytics help media companies gauge engagement. The old Nielsen ratings system is what it is, but instantaneous, global social networking data--now that’s something else entirely. In the head-to-head competition between Facebook and Twitter, Facebook is looking to get a step on its rival with the big four TV networks by giving them data reports about how many actions a given TV episode has generated...Read more...

Those commercials for the Dish Network Hopper, the monster whole-home DVR service that lets users record up to 6 channels simultaneously and store up to 2,000 hours of content, make the whole thing seem too good to be true. In reality, it’s not, but the major networks certainly feel like it should be. Multiple networks have sued Dish Network over one feature in particular: AutoHop, which allows users to automatically skip commercials in recorded content. It may seem a semantic designation to carp about an auto-skip feature when users have always been able to simply fast forward through ads...Read more...

Good news for Time Warner Cable subscribers. You can put away those unsightly rabbit ears on top of your television for local programming because CBS Corp. hammered out a deal with the world's second largest cable company to end what had become a month-long blackout to millions of subscribers in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas, the Los Angeles Times reports. Following weeks of negotiations, the two sides finally came to terms on a new distribution deal that will run almost five years. In doing so, subscribers in affected areas not only get to see the return of KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel...Read more...

For many Time Warner Cable subscribers, we're going into yet another weekend where CBS is unavailable. Due to stalled negotiations over subscription rates, TWC and CBS have yet to come to terms on what it'll take to get the network back on-air. So, in order to prevent TWC customers from fleeing elsewhere (particularly as the NFL regular season nears its start), the operator is taking extreme measures: it's handing out free antennas. That's right: with CBS blacked-out via cable services, TWC is hoping that its customers lean on over-the-air network waves to capture signal. Time Warner Cable has...Read more...

CBS and Time Warner have been engaged in a public battle over network access fees and the result has been a blackout in key markets that's left TWC customers unable to access certain CBS properties, including Showtime. These sorts of battles are ill-received by a public that's generally sick of paying an average of $84 a month to watch a handful of channels and now, thanks to a license dispute, finds itself unable to consume content that's been legally paid for. The predictable result? Skyrocketing piracy rates. According to data gathered by TorrentFreak, people in the affected markets of...Read more...

Goodnight, sweet prince. That's the message that was sent to millions of Time Warner Cable customers last night, as the operator and CBS could not come to terms on a re-transmission agreement. Essentially, CBS wanted more money per TWC subscriber, while TWC feels that CBS should cave; after all, CBS broadcasts are shot to those with antennas for free. Both sides have a point, and when stubborn heads collide, it's always a possibility that we end up going nowhere. Now, Time Warner Cable has dropped CBS in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and several other markets. And they won't come back online...Read more...

If you're looking to cut the cord, and you value older television shows over new release movies, Netflix is looking like an ever more excellent bet. CBS and Netflix nailed down an extension of its multiyear licensing agreement for select CBS library content streamed instantly to Netflix customers. Under the revised deal, new titles such as "L.A. Complex," "4400," and "CSI: NY" will be available to Netflix subscribers. "We are delighted to be bringing these much-loved series to our members in the U.S.," said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. "Our goal is to give Netflix members a...Read more...

It's another day, so that means only one thing: another Twitter account hijack. This latest incident comes courtesy of the "Syrian Electronic Army", a group that actively hijacks websites and accounts of entities that produce Syrian-related news that it deems hostile or inaccurate. Not one, but two accounts have been affected; @60Minutes, which has over 300,000 followers, and @CBSDenver, one with close to 25,000. As of the time of writing, @60Minutes remains inaccessible, with Twitter citing an account suspension. Twitter itself hasn't disclosed any information regarding the hijacking, and for...Read more...

For the last several years, CNET has been coordinating the CES product awards at that big annual electronics show in Las Vegas (you may have heard it mentioned around here a few times), but that arrangement has abruptly ended. According to Boston.com, the Consumer Electronics Agency (CEA), which runs the show, will not be asking CNET back next year because it believes that CNET’s parent company, CBS Corp., interfered with this year’s award selection process. Apparently, CNET staffers wanted to give the coveted Best in Show award to Dish Network’s Hopper whole-home DVR with Sling...Read more...

Dish Network has a new “PrimeTime Anytime” feature that’s part of a whole-home DVR service called “Hopper”. The service lets you access Fox, NBC, CBS, and ABC primetime content from the last eight days on demand and record up to six programs simultaneously with a storage capacity of up to 2,000 hours of content. However, one little bonus feature called AutoHop has a team of broadcasters hopping mad. Simply put, AutoHop automatically skip commercials on recorded content, unlike typical DVR programming that requires the user to fast forward with the remote control. Apparently,...Read more...

In a recent interview, CBS Chief Executive Les Moonves said CBS is in talks to bring some of its TV shows to Hulu. According to Moonves, the talks are focused on Hulu Plus, a paid subscription service that launched in June and costs $9. CBS is the only major broadcaster who doesn't currently offer shows through Hulu. Initially, CBS stayed away from Hulu in an effort to ensure flexibility. With the introduction of a subscription option, CBS is now interested in exploring its options with Hulu. "Are we having discussions with the Hulu subscription service? Yes we are," Moonves said. "Our goal is...Read more...